The Tunnel of Six Lovers
by nearlynormel
Summary: What happens when Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and Suki all decide to to go back to the Tunnel of Two Lovers? Chaos? Check. Drama? Cabbages? Check. Check. True Love? Double Check. (at least true love in my book). This is for every Avatar shipper out there.
1. Getting there

_The main reason I am writing this is because I love how Avatar fans get into their characters. They are such a dedicated fan base. But the thing I don't like his how devided people can get over shipping. So I thought- hey! What if I wrote an Avatar fic that ever shipper out there could enjoy. _

_I know it sounds crazy, but what if someone wrote a fanfiction so every pairing got a bit of light. You had a moment of Toph and Aang. A moment of Katara and Suki. A moment of Zuko and Sokka. And all the other possible pairings. Some would be more intense than others. Some would be a little more than friendship moments. Whatever! I just thought this would be a really cool idea that could bring people together, and I hope you internet people like it. I won't tell you who gets with who in the end. That's for you to find out. _

_Because I am still getting used to the whole thingi majiger, I am not sure how to tag this. But what evs. I am basically making this fanfiction to make everyshipper happy. If that makes any sense. I am totally tired of shipping wars. WHY CAN'T WE ALL COEXIST?! I will hopefully cater to all you crazy shippers out there and give everysingle Avatar fan out there a moment of true bliss. This is my second fanfiction so wish me luck kiddies. I don't own any of these characters. I just pull their strings._

_..._

"Sokka, for the last time, we are visiting the cave, and there is nothing you can do about it!" yelled Katara.

"But can't we just fly over the mountain?" complained Sokka. He wasn't taking this little detour very well at all. Sokka just couldn't figure out how someone in their right mind would ever go back to that awful place.

"Quit, whining Boomerang. Sugar Queen already said she made up her mind," stated Toph. She was leaned up against Appa's saddle chewing a blade of grass, her blank pale eyes staring in Sokka's general direction. Toph didn't seem to enjoy the idea of this anymore than Sokka. But at least she wasn't griping about it like him.

Next to her sat the rest of Team Avatar. Zuko was on Toph's left, just staring at the clouds, Katara, on her right, looking as unhappy as ever, Suki was at Katara's right side and Sokka's left unsure on what to say, and Aang was at Appa's head giding the bison over the forest of trees.

"I hate to say it but I agree with Sokka." Zuko said, "The Fire Lord has important business to attend to, and he and the Avatar are needed at a meeting in Omashu in three days."

"Hey! They requested the Avatar. And The Fire Lord. **And** the Avatar's friends," Katara pointed out, putting an extra emphasis on the last 'And'.

"Like that sounds sooo much better," mumbled Toph.

"I'm just saying this detour is a waste of valuable time. We could be spending that time more efficiently. We already passed over the city once to visit Kyoshi Island." said Zuko.

"And that was a necessary stop, Fire Lord Zuko. The Kyoshi Warriors have to protect the Fire Lord, but they also have a duty to Kyoshi Island after all." Suki commented. She smiled, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. Sokka always loved her smile.

But he also felt a tingle of something else inside him when she mentioned her job. Sokka always felt it was sort of strange how Mai got the Kyoshi Warriors to move all the way to the Fire Nation, just to protect Zuko. Even stranger that Suki called Zuko by his proper title. It was funny how so much could change in only a year. It seemed like just yesterday Sokka was dressing up like a lady to impress her. Ah, memories.

"Yeah, the Kyoshi Warriors still have to protect their people, even though the Hundred Year War ended all that time ago. The Avatar still has to go around spreading peace, with all of his friends. Just like the good old days," Aang said happily as he steered Appa around a few clouds.

"Speak for yourself, Twinkle Toes. The good old days are nothing compared to know. I got my own Metal Bending Academy, a bunch of lily livers to boss around all day, and I'm thinking about starting my own military force."

"Uhhh. Does anyone else think that Toph's military force is a bad idea?" said Sokka. A look of pure dread slowly etched on to his face, while the others began to laugh.

"Yeah, I guess your right Sokka." said Toph. Sokka thought he noticed that she blushed ever so slightly, but you could never be sure with Toph. He decided to let it slide. He tended to be very good with that sort of thing.

"Well I think it's a great idea Toph," encouraged Katara, giving a thumbs up that the blind girl could not possible see.

"May the spirits help us all," grumbled Zuko.

Toph made a face at Zuko and Sokka couldn't help but laugh.

"Soo Aang. What is this tunnel you are taking us to?" inquired Suki. The thought of Toph's own small army seemed to make her a little uncomfortable as well. She was obviously ready to change the topic.

"It's called the Cave of Two Lovers. We visited a while back when I was looking for an earth bending teacher-"

"Me to be precise."

"-Yeah, Toph. But originally I was going to ask my friend Bumi to do it. He's the king of Omashu, and the one we are supposed to meet in a few days. Well, when were originally going to see him, the Fire Nation Army was blocking our path. So in order to get to Omashu, we had to pass through this tunnel-"

"With a bunch of annoying singing nomads I might add."

"-Yeah, annoying. Thanks for interrupting Sokka. But when we-"

"Ooh Aang! Don't forget to tell them about the beautiful lights in the ceiling that everyone will love seeing!" exclaimed Katara, a bright smile lighting up her face.

"Yeah, I'm sure I will love seeing them," Toph said waving her arms around dramatically. It was sort of easy to forget about the blind kid in the group some days.

"Oh Toph, I wasn't th-"

"Leave her alone, Toph." barked Zuko rather suddenly. He looked really angry all for no reason at all. At least in Sokka's opinion.

"Make me, Fire Lady." retorted Toph with a sly grin on her face.

"Don't call me that!" Zuko yelled. His face contorted into an angry grimace. He looked like he was ready to throw down with the tiny earth bender right here.

"Will you guys let me finish my story?!"

Everyone quieted down.

"Whatever, Twinkle Toes," muttered Toph burrowing her head in her hands.

"Anyway, Katara, Sokka, and I all got to travel around in the caves. We got to meet badgermoles, and learn all this stuff about the creation of earth bending."

Toph seemed to perk up about the earth bending part. Zuko just looked as irritated as ever.

"Why is it called the Cave of Two Lovers then?" asked Suki. A sudden grin, that Sokka was not sure what he felt about, slipped onto his girlfriend's face.

"There was this whole story, about-" Katara started. She stopped, suddenly blushed when she saw Suki.

"Oh." was all Aang managed to say.

"What are all you bird brains talking about?" questioned the blind girl noticing all the silence. Zuko only let out a hump of annoyance.

"I'm sure you could use the cave for some of …that." Aang said. He soon realized that saying this was a mistake.

"Why Aang! What are you exactly planning on doing with my sister!" exclaimed Sokka.

"Nothing Sokka! I promise!" stuttered the Avatar.

"Just joking!" Sokka laughed. Suki started giggling.

"But seriously if you do anything. _Anything._ To my sister I will take you down."

Suki stopped giggling immediately.

"It would be nice to have some alone time with my boyfriend." stated Katara to no one in particular. Aang blushed and beamed at the water bender from on top of the bison's head.

"Kaattaarraaa!"

"Quit it Sokka. I can take care of myself… Plus I don't see Suki complaining about alone time with you."

"Alone time?" stammered Sokka, he turned to Suki with her painted eyebrows wiggling.

"And suddenly I'm okay with the '_alone time'_ idea." said Sokka.

They Toph and Zuko let out a groan.

"To bad, we didn't bring Mai along, huh Zuko?" Sokka laughed as he elbowed the sulking Fire Lord.

"Can we just forget about this tunnel business?" Zuko said, turning back to the sky around him.

"We are here three days early. The tunnel will only take an hour or two to walk through. Appa needs to rest. We all need to de-stress, and have a little adventure. It will be fun. Not as fun as penguin sledding, but still fun." assured Aang.

"Hey look! We're here!" cried Toph pointing to the ground.

Everyone scampered over to Toph's side to see where she was pointing. Sokka peered over the side and frowned.

"That's not-…wait ….. I sure hate it when you do that." said Sokka.

A wide, toothy smirk sat on Toph's face for the rest of the trip, much to everyone's annoyance.


	2. Into the Tunnel

_Second Chapter is here! Did you guys know that you can only put four character tags on your work. That is like totally annoying. Plus I have no clue how to tag pairings. This site is so confusing._

_So I was all like doobie doobie doo, and having okay time here when I checked the traffic on The Tunnel of Six Lovers. Sixty-Nine people dudes. Including readers from France, India, Switzerland, Germany, and China. That's a bit terrifying yo. I wrote like this Frozen fanfiction and only like ten people looked at it. So I guess ten to sixty-nine is an awesome improvement. 690% Improvement. So thank you fanfiction enthusiasts. _

_And at this point I am asking for reviews. I know my spelling and grammar is awful. I friends with grammar nazis. They are evil beings some days. (OmenProphecy: "Nearly is talking about me. How sweet!") I fixed the first chapter a bit, but if you see something that you must tell me to fix. Feel free. I also want you guys to tell me if I'm doing a good job, or how I can do better. _

_This chapter and the first one as well are for setting up all the mess that is about to come. I'm kinda staying neutral to everyone and their feelings, but some relationships are begining to be implied. What ever you are looking for. Canon or no. I hope you are finding it. The drama starts in the dark. _

_..._

It took long enough to get to the cave, and it took even longer to convince Toph and Zuko to help move the rubble out of the way.

"Hey Toph, I bet I can move more stone than you!" yelled Aang.

"You're on Twinkle Toes!" Toph jeered back.

Well maybe it wasn't too hard.

The sun was shining bright, but others were preferring rain.

"Why does Appa get to skip out of bonding time?" asked Zuko. Suki, Sokka, Katara, and he were all moving rocks much slower than Aang and Toph. Besides the fact that Suki and Sokka were doing anything but picking up these stones.

"Appa hates going underground." Katara answered. She grunted as she pulled up a rather large rock and moved it over to the discard pile.

"So do I." Zuko said as he brushed some of the bangs out of his eyes.

"To bad." Katatara moved over to another rock.

"This is pointless." Zuko griped.

"It. Is. Not. Pointless." Katara grunted as she picked up a giant boulder blocking the tunnel entrance. She was struggling over the load, not to mention rather angry at Zuko's whining.

"It is a waste of the Avatar's and the Fire Lord's time."

"It is not a waste of time Zuko."

Katara shoved the rock forward a bit.

"It is," said Zuko.

Sweat was dribbling down Katara's face.

"It is not."

The rock was still not moving.

"It is," repeated Zuko.

Katara's face got red.

"IT IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME. ZUKO! I AM SO SICK OF YOUR ATTITUDE MISTER! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO COME THAN DON'T!"

Katara began to push on the rock again. To her surprise another set of hands began pushing on the rock as well.

"Let me help you, Katara." Zuko said. The rock began to move. Together they lifted it over to the pile of stone that was becoming increasingly higher thanks to Aang and Toph.

"There," said Katara. She beamed with pride on a job well done. Zuko smiled a bit too.

Zuko turned to go collect more rock, but it was all gone.

"Ha! I moved more rock than you Twinkle Toes!" laughed little blind girl from not to far off.

"Nope I am pretty sure Aang moved more rock than you," said Sokka.

"No way, Sokka. Toph moved way more rock than me." Aang smiled while shaking his head.

"Thanks Twinkle Toes!" Toph chuckled. She punched the young Avatar in the arm making Aang wince.

"Nice job Aang. It's not like Toph needed a bigger ego, or anything." Zuko grumbled as he and Katara moved over to the group.

Toph made a face and opened her mouth to say something. Sokka managed to step in before any sound escaped the earth benders mouth.

"All righty guys, is everyone ready to go and visit the dangerous yet mysterious Tunnel of Two Lovers! Everyone should get a few candles in case the glowing stones happen to go out. Katara hand these out. Good. Next we need a rendezvous point if-"

"Let's just go!" exclaimed Suki as she grabbed her boyfriend by the hand. She pulled him into the darkness and the rest of the Gaang followed.

….

"Wow." Zuko's mouth had fallen open at the sight of the glowing crystals on the ceiling. The tunnel was bathed in a gorgeous blue light. Zuko ran his hand over the smooth stone walls. He turned his hand to the stalagmites rising from the floor. They were smooth and cold and beautiful.

"The colors are so pretty Katara!"gasped Suki. She was also rubbing her hands along the walls, her eyes wide.

"Told you it was great," smiled Katara. She suddenly blushed as Aang grabbed her small hand in his and began leading her away.

Zuko turned his head.

"Hey Sokka, you wanna maybe start walking with me too?" asked Suki. The warrior suddenly turned red in the dimly lit cave, and gladly started walking.

"Yeah, yeah. Colors sooo cool," grumbled Toph. She moved her bare feet along the ground feeling the cave for herself. She suddenly let out a gasp.

"A badgermole is coming!" yelled Toph.

Everyone turned around. Zuko searched the darkness for any shape that resembled the shape of a badgermole. A hushed silence fell over the crowd of teens.

"There!" called Suki pointing to the right. Out of the darkness came the lumbering shape of a badgermole.

"Toph be careful!" yelled Katara as she dropped Aang's hand to go and chase after the excited Toph that had already ran up and started petting the beast.

The others began to walk hesitantly towards the creature. Zuko had never seen a badgermole before. It watched him approach with cool black eyes. Zuko let his hand touch the badgermole's fur. It was warm and soft to the touch. So maybe this little detour wouldn't be so bad.

He ran his hand along the badgermole's back. He reached the creatures back when Katara let out a pained shriek.

….

"I can't believe you thought tugging a badgermole's whiskers was a good idea." Toph snickered on top of her perch.

Suki was putting the finishing touches on the bandage on Katara's arm. Zuko and Sokka were leaning up against the cave wall, while Aang was hovering over his injured girlfriend sitting cross legged on the floor.

"For the last time Toph.

"What's your problem?" Zuko yelled turning to Toph.

"I don't know. Maybe the hot headed jerk sitting next to me!" Toph shot back.

"Guys break it up!" said Aang, as turned around to face his friends.

"Someone needs to put this child in her place!" yelled Zuko.

"If I'm a child, so are you!" retorted Toph. Zuko stood up, and grab Toph by her shirt pulling her off the ground in only an instant. He opened his mouth and-

"Zuko! Stop it. We all know that you are only taking out your anger about Mai on Toph." Sukki screamed, cutting off the angry fire bender. Mouths dropped open.

And then the floor caved in.


	3. A Certain Set of Skills

_Meh. So tired. I does not like sleeping on couch. Thank you for the faves and the reveiws guys. Keep it coming. I also got an actual cover for this story. I found it very Avatar-y. _

_Hopefully know we are staring to get a bit of a plot and adventure going. I really like Suki. She is one of my favorite Avatar characters, and I hate it how she doesn't get included in a lot of stuff. She is one of the few 'girlfriend' characters out there that are actually fully developed. And I love me some empowered female characters. _

_So Long and Thanks For All the Fish!_

_... _

You could say Suki was a rather experienced girl. It took her years of training to become a Kyoshi Warrior. She learned the art of fan, she learned how to through a punch, she learned how to put the ceremonial make up on just right, and she learned how to use her innocent look as a weapon. She had fought Azula, she had been thrown in prison, she had escaped prison, she aided Aang in the final battle, and she became the Fire Lord's body guard. She had skill. Skills that did not include flying.

Suki's stomach felt like it was shoved up into her throat. The rush of falling down was not a pleasant one. Her eyes watered as air slapped against her rapidly falling form. The blue lights were gone, and all that greeted her was darkness.

Someone was screaming. No. There was more than one person screaming. Suki could barely make out three other forms in front of her. Suki closed her eyes. She would not panic.

She opened her eyes.

What she could see- 1) Two of her friends falling to their dooms. She couldn't make out exactly who. 2) A cave wall surrounding her at all sides. It looked like one could easily climb up or down it. But reaching it would defiantly be a problem. 3) A ledge about fifty feet below, which the impact of hitting would turn her into a Kyoshi pancake.

Suki furrowed her brow. She needed to think of a plan. She opened her mouth, but her words were lost in the wind.

She looked around again. This could be the end. It looked like no one else was coming up with any other good ideas. Suki closed her eyes again to keep the tears from falling. Then someone grabbed her hand.

"Aang!" Suki exclaimed. Above her was the shape of glider along with two forms grabbing hold of the Avatar's waist.

A wash of relief washed over the warrior as she began to laugh.

…

"You said this was going to be fun."

Suki, Katara, and Zuko sat on a ledge Suki spotted earlier with only the small camp fire Zuko provided for light. Katara was vigorously combing through her tangled hair while the three of them waited for Aang to get back from searching for the others.

"I don't think Katara and Aang were counting being thrown down a hole by angry earth bending badgermoles as fun." Suki sighed. Her hair was also rather messy, and she began to comb through it as well. Suki wasn't really looking forward for another Zuko and Katara fight.

Surprisingly Katara didn't want to fight.

"Not now you guys." Katara muttered. She slipped to the floor and began to rub her bandaged arm. She looked tired.

Zuko followed Katara to the floor and came up rather close to the water bender.

"Sokka and Toph may be dead. And it would be all my fault." Katara sighed. She peered over the edge that the three of them were waiting on. Katara put her head in her hands.

"They'll be fine. Toph is a the best earth bender in the world. Aang will find them." Suki assured. She also sat on the cold ledge. If they were going to wait, might as well be sort of comfortable.

Katara lifted her head and smiled. The three of them sat in silence around the small flame that gave them light.

Time passed. Sokka. Where were you?

Suki felt a pang of guilt. She wasn't really worried about Toph at all. Just Sokka. But who could blame her right? Sokka was the first boy she ever really fell in love with. Sokka was Sokka, but she loved him. They were there for each other, and Suki didn't know what she would do without him. Plus she was a virgin when she met him. So he owes her.

"Sooo. Zuko…" Katara started. She turned to look at the Fire Lord bathed in the shadows of the tunnel.

"Yes?" inquired Zuko. One eyebrow raising lazily.

"You... and Mai… Are not together anymore huh?"

"Yup. She ended it a month ago."

"Why… why didn't you tell us?" asked Katara. A look of concern forming on her face.

Zuko turned to Suki.

"It was supposed to remain a secret."

Suki turned as red as beet under the Fire Lord's gaze. Okay. So maybe the only reason she knew about Mai leaving was because she was ease dropping on the love birds. They had been squabbling lately, and it was Suki's job to protect Zuko.

A million possible sentences flew through the warriors mind. The only word that managed to escape her lips was. "Sorry."

"The truth would have escaped eventually." Zuko ran his hand through his shaggy hair.

Katara placed a hand on Zuko's arm, and Zuko smiled. Suki raised an eyebrow. She got the fact that Katara was the momma of the group. But there was something going on here, weather the two of them were aware of it or not.

"Hey look! Aang is back!" piped Suki. The bald boy glided unto the edge of the rock. With one flick his blue glider turned back into his usual staph. Katara shot up and ran to the edge to greet the Avatar leaving the fire bender in the dark.

"Aang!" Katara yelled as she grabbed the Avatar in a hug. Aang returned the favor and hugged her back.

"Did you find Sokka!" questioned Suki as she raced up to the two. Zuko followed.

Aang's grin fell.

"No, but we have bigger problems," sighed Aang.

Something turned in the pit of Suki's stomach. Aang didn't find Sokka. Or Toph. Toph was also missing. They both were.

"What do you mean _bigger problems_?" said Zuko.

"Bigger problems as in the top of the hole those badgermoles created for us is closed. We can't get out of here," reported Aang.

"Can't you just earth bend the top of this cavern we fell down away?" wondered Katara.

"That's another problem. My earth bending isn't working."

"Aang, how could your earth bending not be working? Are the rest of your elements not working either?" Suki didn't know much about bending, but she did know about the Ty Lee's ability to block Chi. Maybe Aang had been exposed to something in the cave.

Aang shook his head. "I can still air bend, fire bend, and water bend. It's just the earth bending that is not working. I tried to open up a whole for us to get out of, but it was no use. We're trapped for now."

"Maybe this has to do with those Badgermoles," pondered Zuko.

"Maybe," Aang shrugged.

A silence fell among the four of them. They all had moved to sit around the camp fire again. Suki stared at the flames.

What were they going to do? Aang couldn't break the rock that kept her from- kept them from escaping. Aang couldn't break the rock that kept her from her friends Aang couldn't break the rock that kept her from Sokka. He could be hurt and Suki wouldn't be there for him. Or worse- Sokka could by dying and she wouldn't be there to save him. And Suki was a skilled warrior. And no warrior would be sitting around doing nothing when two of her fellow soldiers could be in trouble. Not to mention that one of them was her boyfriend.

"Everyone up!" Suki barked. Her fellow comrades jumped at the sudden noise. Suki stood up and the rest followed.

"We are going to get out of here," declared Suki. "Katara, Zuko, and I are going to start climbing down the rock wall, while Aang scouts ahead. We are getting to the bottom of this shaft, and are going to find Sokka and Toph."

"What if there is nothing down there?" asked Katara.

"Well we'll just have to find out won't we?" Suki said bluntly. She crossed the three of her friends and grabbed onto the stone wall. She got a good grasp on the rocks and began to climb down.

"Sounds like a plan," said Aang. He unleashed his glider and began to descend into the darkness.

"Aren't you coming Katara?" Zuko questioned as he too, grabbed a good hold on the wall.

"What if we fall? Did I mention that I am not good at falling to my death in pitch blackness?" said Katara with her hands on her hips.

"Um. Didn't you hear me screaming earlier?" replied Zuko.

"I know I did! I was convinced you were Sokka at first, by your girlish screams!" called Aang from somewhere below. Suki let out a laugh.

Katara was not convinced.

"Look. If you fall, I'll catch you," sighed Zuko. He didn't look too thrilled at the fact he screamed like a girl. Zuko began to climb down into the darkness, leaving Katara alone.

Katara mumbled something about should have listening to a whiny blind girl and an annoying Fire Lord, and followed the fire bender down.

Suki was a rather experienced girl. She had skill. Flying no. Leading yes.


	4. Converstaions in the Dark

_Sorry for taking so long to update this. I was off saving the world and didn't have a computer._

_Peanut: Ummm, I thought you were visiting your cousins in Minnesota?_

_Nearly: It's _WISCONSIN! _Get it right woman! Fourteen years she's done this. But while I was there I did stop a mutant corn army from reaching full power. _

_Peanut: WHAT MUTANT CORN ARMY?_

_Nearly: Exactly. _

_Peanut: Humph. _

_Corn does not like getting eaten people. They were simply tired of the bloodshed caused by our need for summer barbeques. I am not back home yet, but I do have a computer so I can type. Huzzah!_

_Please keep reviewing and reading. One day I will write something brilliant! But the only way to get better is to continue practicing. _

_All I can say for this chapter is that Katara makes me want to strangle her sometimes. _

_...__..._

Water is cold.

Those were the first thought that came to a water logged Sokka. He was falling, and then he found himself underwater in some sort of river. Wait- falling?

Sokka broke the surface taking quick ragged breaths. He was being pulled down stream by a strong current. A steady drum of rushing water filled his ears. It sounded like there was a waterfall of some sort nearby, and he was heading straight for it.

Sokka thrashed and whipped his head around kicking, water in the air. He had to get out of this river, before he and that waterfall became acquaintances.

"Help!" someone screamed.

The cavern Sokka was in was dimly lit by a set of yellow crystals hanging on the wall. He could barely make out the shape of a figure a few yards in front of him.

"Help!" the person yelled again. It sounded like Toph.

And Toph couldn't swim.

"Toph! Keep your head above the water! I'll be there in a second," hollered Sokka above the sound of raging waves.

…

Katara always had a thing with boys.

It all started with Sokka of course. He was rude, sarcastic, and always chewed with his mouth open. He was disgusting. But Katara eventually whipped her brother into shape.

Then she helped Haru, and then had that affair with Jet thatdoesn'tneedtobebroughtupeveragain.

Then you had the Prince.

Katara didn't like Zuko very much at first. He tried to kill her multiple times, and that would put a damper on anyone's relationship. They were opposites after all. Fire and Water don't mix. Then she sort of went on a life changing field trip with him, and she saw him… a little differently. You might have said she had a crush on him, but it just never happened. That's when Aang came into the picture.

Aang was Katara's best friend from the beginning. She always saw him as a brother, and something more that Katara could never put her finger on. Aang ended up making the first move of course, making Katara actually realize her true feelings. They had been inseparable ever since, and nothing could ever change that.

Except for a giant cavern of darkness of course.

"Katara! You alright up there sweetie?" called Aang from below. He was scouting the route for the wall climbers about twenty meters beneath Katara's feet. She knew this because Aang had a small fire in the palm of hand that was a shot out like a beacon in the darkness.

But that was all Katara could really see. Only the rock in front of her was really visible to her eyes.

"Fine! I'm fine! Is there anything interesting down there?" grunted Katara as she grabbed a hold of another ledge and lowered her body down a bit more.

"Nothing is coming up except a few caves and such. Suki is resting in one of them, and Zuko is in another," yelled Aang.

Wait Zuko was gone?! A sudden rush of panic seemed to grasp Katara's whole body. She didn't even notice him leave. They were talking for a while as they made their ways down the cliff face. The water bender ended up stopping the conversation when she yelled at Zuko to shut his stupid mouth. Katara now wished she didn't yell at the Fire Lord like that. She suddenly felt very alone. Almost venerable.

"Aang, I'm gonna take a rest too." Katara stammered. Her breathing had become heavy and Katara felt like she was going to hurl.

"Cool, I'm going to go see if I can find the bottom of this thing. You wanna catch a ride on my glider and-"

"No! I mean no thanks. I'm good." Katara winced at the harshness that was in her voice. She didn't mean it to come out like that.

"Oh, okay. Get some rest," said Aang. Just by the tone of his voice she could tell that he was hurt. Katara had time to apologize later, now she just had to get somewhere safe.

Katara scampered down the rock face as fast as her legs let her. She continued to slide her foot down the wall until she hit air finally hit air. A cave.

Katara let out a small yelp as someone grabbed her foot pulling her down into the rock cave. Zuko!

Zuko grabbed her hips and managed to put Katara back on solid earth. Katara felt her cheeks go red a bit from the warmness of his hands on her body. The lighting was even worse in the cave, but Katara managed to make out a form in front of her so she could grasp it into a hug.

"Zuko! Don't you dare abandon me again, mister! Heaven forbid anything happened to you!" Katara practically yelled in his ear. Zuko had suddenly tensed up and let out a small cough.

"Um… not Zuko," a female voice squeaked. Suki.

…

"That waterfall is awfully loud Sokka! Go faster!" Toph yelled. Sokka was holding the soaking wet earth bender in the crook of his left arm, as he struggled to swim against the current. Toph was hanging onto Sokka for dear life as the waves pounded against the two.

"Well maybe I would be going faster if SOMEONE knew how to doggie paddle!"

Sokka felt his concentration slip again and the cold water submerged the two again. The chill stung like needles, but the two broke the surface breathing heavily.

"Is this really the time for this, Snoozles?!" Toph barely managed cough out.

"There is always time for sarcasm!" answered Sokka breathless. Toph rolled her eyes as Sokka continued to be pulled down the stream towards a watery grave.

….

"Katara, is there anything you wish to tell me?"

Katara could feel the Kyoshi Warrior's eyes on her even in the pitch darkness. Katara had stopped hugging Suki after she learned the real form of her companion in the cave. Inside Katara was mentally punching herself over the fact that she jumped to conclusions so quickly.

"I was just worried about Zuko, Suki. Sorry for overreacting a bit." Katara replied, rubbing her head. Wow, this was a bit embarrassing.

"Yeah, okay." Suki said, each word tumbling out of the warriors mouth with a bit of uncertainty.

This surprised Katara a bit. What could be troubling her friend? It was Katara's job to help her friends, and she always had time to listen.

"Suki something is bothering you." Katara stated. Now it was her turn to question her companion in the dark.

"Nothing, forget I said anything," Suki concluded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Is it about being stuck down here?"

"No. It's fine-"

"Is it about Zuko or me?"

"Well actually-"

"Is it about Aang?"

"No, Katara just st-"

"Is it about Toph? Is it about Sokka? Is it about the fact that Toph most likely has a crush on Sokka? Is it about the badgerm-"

"WAIT WHAT?"

…...

"Can't you just earth bend us out of here or something!" yelled a distressed Sokka. He could see the edge waterfall now. The rapids that separated the Sokka from a long fall down, where disappearing into the darkness. The sound was deafening. Sokka couldn't tell who far down it was, but he didn't want to find out.

"Get me to a wall then!" Toph roared. Impending peril always got people just a tad bit stressed.

Sokka grunted and used the rest of his strength to get to the rock wall. Toph grabbed a hold of it. She shut her eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened.

Toph opened her eyes with a look of pure shock. What was taking so long? She scrunched up her face and closed her eyes again. Her eyes shot open once again. Toph let out a scream of rage as she punched the rock in frustration.

Sokka didn't know much about bending, but that didn't look good.

"Toph, why aren't we out of here?" Sokka sputtered. His own grasp on the rock wall was slipping fast. Another wave hit the two. Sokka dug his nails into the stone cutting his hands. He let out a wail after he tasted air again.

"Sokka, we need to hold on. My bending… It's not working!" sputtered Toph after her head poked up out of the water again.

"Easier said than done. Why universe, why?" Sokka moaned. He grabbed the blind girl's waist as a humongous wave washed the two away.


	5. Who's the Blind One Here?

_Two chapters in one day? Feel free to applause. _

_Okay so last chapter. How do I describe my feelings for last chapter? Hmmm. Katara you screwed up. And all of them will continue to screw up, I promise you. _

_I find the most important force in either beginning or ending a relationship is other outside forces. Mostly other people putting ideas in other people's heads. So be careful what you say to certain people when it comes to love. We all have that one friend that ships you with someone else. _

_Sigh. Never let anyone borrow from you a Sim game of some sort that has you and your friends to play with in a virtual world. Shit goes down. _

_Oh, and if you like interesting Harry Potter fanfiction with crazy powerful witches, creepy stuff, sad stuff, or alternative time lines, or if you just have time to kill go check out OmenProphecy a friend of mine. DIE TIME. DIE. _

_Did you guys see last nights Legend of Korra? The Earth Queen is now my least favorite villain of all time currently. No spoilers, but she is one nasty lady. _

_Please keep reviewing and reading. This chapter is for spatterson who should get her own account and start writing more. Hope you like it._

_..._

I wish I learned to swim. Being blind that wasn't much of an option for me, but being blind made many things not an option.

I had just fallen down a freaking waterfall when Ponytail grabbed me and pulled me to the surface. Normally I would beat the snot out of him for saving me, but now was unfortunately not the time.

My head was spinning and everything sounded wrong. The splashes of water were muffled, and I thought I could hear Sokka say something. It wasn't until I felt the sweet earth beneath my body that I got a good view what was going on.

Sokka was lying face down to the side of me at the moment. I could tell from his rapid heartbeat that he was frazzled but mostly unscathed. He sat up and started to crawl along the edge he managed to pull us to. I however was not so inclined to move.

"Five more minutes," I managed to sputter as I rolled over to get more comfortable. I was out of breath as much as Meathead.

Sokka just let out some sort of noise as a reply. I rolled over a bit again. This ground was so hard! I tried to bend the earth a bit to make myself a bit more comfy when I remembered what had just gone down.

"Great." I grumbled. I noticed the water wasn't very loud anymore. We must have went far enough downstream that the water was mostly calm.

"What's great?" sniffled Snoozles. He came over as I decided to sit up.

"No earth bending. I was being sarcastic."

"Ahh, my favorite flavor for words. So why would your earth bending not be working." Sokka inquired. He sounded really tired. I can't be that heavy.

"No clue. Maybe the badgermoles. I can still see, but other than that nothing. It's like there is a huge force just keeping all the rock in place," I said with a shrug.

"Just perfect," griped Meathead. His heartbeat suddenly sped up. He was suddenly getting very stressed.

"Oh no, Toph, what happened to the others. What happened to Suki?"

….

"What did you just say?"

Okay. This was defiantly more embarrassing than mistaking her friend to be Zuko. But Suki was staying surprisingly calm at least.

"I-I thought you knew," sputtered Katara, her face was completely red.

"Well I knew she did like him once…" Suki trailed off. Katara wondered what was going on in her friend's head. Or at least what expression Suki had on. It was pitch black in this cave.

"Just… I'm sorry I said anything… it was just so obvious. You had to be blind not to notice anything. The constant bickering, the blushing, _the kiss," _Katara continued to gab.

"You mean when I saved Toph from drowning right? She thought I was Sokka, and she kissed me. She already apologized for that. Toph was completely embarrassed. I get that she might have had a crush on him once, but I'm pretty sure it's over," Suki informed the water bender.

The thought that Toph liked Sokka was completely irrational. Katara was just full of nonsense.

"No. I'm talking about the one at Toph's Metal Bending Academy. It was behind the school and everything." Katara said this all so fast that the words didn't have time to buffer through Katara's brain. Katara clasped her hand over her mouth as soon as the last word spilled out.

"Really… just recently…"

"Yeah, but it was an accident and all. The two of them had gotten pretty wild and I'm sure it didn't mean anything. You had been gone so long….." Katara said tried to bandage up the wound she had just caused. She tried to continue but had nothing else to say.

….

"It's so dark in here, I can't see a thing," mumbled Sokka.

"Well that must be awful huh?" I said, exaggerating each word.

"Oh right. Sorry."

As much as Ponytail annoyed me I could never stay mad at him. I guess that would always was going to be a weakness of mine.

"I can feel a path going down in that direction. Let's start walking and see if we can find the others." I instructed as I got up from the ground.

"Isn't down bad. Aren't we supposed to be going up? You know to the surface?" asked Meathead.

"Then what do you think we should do, oh wise one?"

"…Fine, just give me a moment to light one of my torches, and-"

"No. Don't waste your time. Their soaked like the rest of us. I can lead us." I commanded.

"Speaking of being soaked," mumbled Sokka. I could see him shifting around and dropping some clothing to the floor.

"Getting nude for me Boomerang Boy?" I taunted.

"Hahaha. Very funny, I'm just removing some outer clothing here. It's freezing in here and the heavy wet clothing doesn't help," snapped Sokka.

I suddenly realized how heavy and wet my garb was. I shrugged and began to pull my outer layers off too. I grabbed all of the dripping cloth with just a swoop of my hand and tossed them at Snoozles. With a satisfying yelp and a splash I could tell he hadn't caught the pile.

"Let's go." I grabbed Sokka's hand and began to practically pull him down the path. His heart beat increased a bit with the whole skin contact thing. Boys and puberty was a stupid mix.

Same thing with girls, but I digress.

We walked in silence for a while. The only sounds were the occasional screech from Meathead when he bumped into some rock.

"I'm such an awful boyfriend," he said at last, letting a sigh escape his lips.

"Please tell me more," I snorted. I really didn't want to get into this topic with anyone. Especially him.

"I haven't been around for Suki enough. Now she could be in pain or worse-… plus I have been unfaithful," choked Sokka. Of course he would bring this back up. I furrowed my brows, and cursed.

"Okay, one- Suki is a badass. She can handle anything. Two- she has had good company in the Fire Palace with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. Even the crazy chi block girl. Plus she and Zuko got to become good friends and all, so you shouldn't worry about nobody being around for her."

"Yeah, I guess that's true…" Ponytail sniffled. His heart rate picked up a bit though. Like something else was going on. I shrugged. It was none of my business.

"And thirdly- for the last time Sokka, that was a mistake. Neither of our faults really. If you want to blame someone, blame **me**. So stop bellyaching about it, and be a man." I answered. How could he not get the hint that I didn't want to talk about that night.

"But it still happened," pointed out Sokka as he dragged his feet behind me.

"Yeah, and I kicked my students ass's for that. Sneaking cactus juice in our tea was apparently a hilarious prank. What's done is done. Just forget it. Only Sugar Queen knows, and she would never tell anyone." I added.

"Still maybe we should have told her that we were hiked up on the juice without our consent." Sokka speculated.

"Nah, not like it would ever come up again."

….

"Hey, guys!" chirped Aang. He came into the cave where the two females dwelt.

"Aang, did you find something down there?" inquired Katara happily. She was sure glad to get a break from the somber silence that was left in the cave. Along with a little bit of light the Avatar had brought with him.

"Yeah, there's this ledge a little while down that turns into a tunnel. I went through the tunnel and found the end of an underground river with a path along the side. The path is running up. And up is our best exit choice. I already flew Zuko over to the other side. I came over to get you two."

"Great!" Katara laughed. She was sure glad she didn't have to climb to her doom anymore today.

"Suki, I'll take you first." Aang said extending his arms in the general direction of the form that was Suki.

"Sure thing Aang," Suki said.

The warrior moved into the light and grabbed a hold of Aang's glider. Suki's makeup was intact but her eyes were very red and puffy. She had been crying, and Katara never noticed. Aang opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

The two left the cave leaving Katara in the dark once again, wondering what she had done.

….

"So who are you most worried about?" Sokka had been asking me a bunch of stupid questions since he brought up the cactus juice incident. He was just trying to make conversation, but to me it was just noise.

"Twinkle Toes, mostly because he is too weak to handle all this. Maybe Sparky because he is an idiot and will probably jump off a cliff. No, wait I worry about Twinkle Toes more because Sparky is an idiot in ways that will only hurt Aang," I answered bluntly.

"Why?" Snoozles asked clearly perplexed.

"If you must know, Hothead fancies Katara and will most likely do something stupid because of it." I said waving my hand around like Sokka was a fly I could brush away.

"What!" Sokka exclaimed as he stopped dead in his tracks. Okay, so this was news to Boomerang Boy.

"Yeah, haven't you seen the way those two act around each other? Plus his heart rate speeds up the way yours does when you see Fangirl,"

"How can you be sure?" goggled Meathead.

"Come on. I'm blind. But I'm not _blind." _I said putting emphasis in the last word.

"Does Katara like Zuko?" Sokka asked after a few quiet moments of thought. He said this with uncertainly with much caution in his voice.

We were moving again, but not as fast as I hoped. I honestly couldn't understand what his problem was. It wasn't any of our business after all. If they wanted to cause a fuss, let them. Love was always stupid anyway.

"I'm not sure. Her heart rate doesn't perk up the way it does when she and Aang are around each other, but it does perk up." I replied.

"I don't want Aang to get hurt," whispered Sokka. His steps slowed along with his heart beat. I let out a grumble. Why did everyone want to have mushy conversations with me?

"Aang's not going to get hurt. Sugar Queen is just confused, like normal. Katara will stay fateful, and she would never do anything to like that to Aang. She loves him to much. Mopey is just pitying himself about knife girl that's all. I if anyone gets hurt it will be him. Sparky deserves it in my opinion. This stuff will pass." I stated trying to cheer Snoozles up a bit. It worked.

"And look on the bright side-" Sokka piped, "If Aang and Katara do break up, you finally ask Aang on a date!"

"WHAT!" I roared. My ears turned red as I turned around to sock that stupid smile off Meathead's face, but he slipped out of my grasp.

He dropped our clothes started sprinting back up the path, and I chased after him filled with rage. What I would give for my bending back so I could beat him to death with a boulder. Sokka suddenly tripped over an abandoned rock and fell straight into the water. I laughed so hard when I felt Ponytail pull himself back onto the rock cursing like a pirate.

Thank you Secret Tunnel.


	6. Lilacs

_Finally we're getting somewhere! Sorry for taking six chapters to set this story up, but this is my best chapter yet. I went back and read what I had written so far and almost vomited in disgust. But hopefully I am getting better. But I will finish this story guaranteed it. _

_This chapter is for my friend parzivalrp1 since he is going through a bunch of stuff tomorrow. Please pray for him. He's a really cool dude who needs all the support he can get. _

_Thank you for everyone who read and reviewed, and please keep reviewing. I will be out for a few days so no updates until then. Sorry but the world needs me. _

_*insert heroic poise here* _

_In order to make a good fic about singles in a cave forced to realize who they are eventually going to end up with, you must break a few good relationships. So far there has been _Katara and Aang_ and _Suki and Sokka_ with hints at _Katara and Zuko_, _Toph and Sokka_, and a tiny bit _Toph and Aang, Aang and Sokka _if you really squinted_ _and _Zuko and Suki _if you really squinted__. EXPECT THE SHIPPINGS TO OFFICIALLY START NOW. _

_#NO SHAME_

_...__..._

"Hey, Aang, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything Katara."

"Well, what would you do if did something wrong. Something so wrong you ended up ruining a relationship?"

…..

"Hey Snoozles! You won't believe who I see coming our way."

…

It was nice to see everyone happy. All of them glad they found each other. I? I was never happy.

"Hey Mopey! Quit sulking, and join the party!" yelled Toph. I did not want to join the party. What other reason was there for me to be avoiding everyone? I just turned my head away telling her my answer. Toph just shrugged and went back to giving Sokka the stink eye. Wait. Could she do that?

It was a long walk for my little group to get here. Turns out Toph and Sokka were heading here too. Things just work out that way, I guess.

Did anyone else still remember that we were still trapped down here?

Why was I so stupid to agree on this little detour?

Oh right. Because I am an idiot.

I wish everyone would just hurry up and get moving again. Aang thought it would be good to take a break, light a fire, and compare notes. Only Aang, Sokka, and Toph are talking, though. Suki is being oddly quiet, and so is Katara. I want to say something, but I don't.

I watched Suki stand up and say she is going to walk around for a bit. She looks pretty unhappy. But I will not bother her. She wants to be alone, so she will be left alone.

Yup. Suki is fine. I won't go talk to her. I will listen to Aang and Toph talk about their mysterious earth bending problems. I will not follow Suki. Nope.

Alright, so I will. She could use some light anyway.

"You okay Suki?" I asked. It wasn't hard to find her. She didn't wander far, but far enough not to be disturbed.

She was sitting on a rock overlooking the underground river. Suki's fans and her headdress were laid beside her, and she was absent mindedly twirling a finger in her hair. She looked tired.

"Fire Lord Zuko, I didn't hear you coming," she sighed. I sat down beside her and lit a small fire to give us some more light.

"You know you don't have to call me Fire Lord when we aren't in the court, right? But forget about that for a minute. You've been crying." I moved over to my friend. It was funny how it was her job to protect me, but right now it felt like I was doing to protecting.

I placed my hand on her hand trying to comfort her, but she only pulled away.

"I'm fine!" grunted Suki. She turned and began to pick up her possessions, but I grabbed her wrist holding her back.

"Suki. Please tell me what's wrong. Holding in anger only makes it worse. Trust me on that."

"….Fine."

….

"So do you think the badgermoles are doing this?" Sokka said.

Aang nodded. "I think so, Sokka. When I try to move the rock it feels like some other force is pushing against me. Like someone is trying to bend the same stone as me. If that's true, that also explains why the caves are always changing. It's the badgermoles controlling everything."

"Twinkle Toes is right. Those badgermoles are keeping us down her by holding all the rock in place. There are too many of them for even me to break through. Stupid badgermoles," mumbled Toph.

"I thought you loved the badgermoles."

"Well that was before they trapped us down here. Since then I had a change of heart. Keep up with the program, Ponytail." Toph spat back. She was still angrier than usual.

"Well if it's the badgermoles we are having a problem with, Master Sokka has the solution!" Sokka yelled excitedly, as a half-witted grin slid onto his face. "All we have to do is sing a sweet melody to the monstrous creatures! Then they will surely set us free!"

Silence.

Toph blew her bangs out of her eyes so Sokka could just see her eyebrows rise up in disapproval. "That sounds like the dumbest plan ever invented."

"Well it worked last time so blehh!" Sokka stuck his tongue out at the earth bender with pure satisfaction.

"You do know I can't see you do that right?"

"Oh... sorry."

"Sokka's plan is the only one we have Toph." Aang stated bringing everyone back to the topic. "But first we need to figure out how to find those badgermoles."

"Easy," Toph said as she stretched lazily out on the rock. "We just need to start another fight. That's what drew them to us last time. We'll need Sugar Queen though. She has the power of nag that no one will ever be able to match."

"Not funny Toph" sighed a despondent Katara.

….

"That douchebag!"

"Zuko, it's no big dea-"

"You have to break up with him!"

"No! It was a mistake! Toph was the one who kissed him! Katara said so!"

"Suki, you can't take treatment from anyone like that! He's cheating on you!"

"No, Zuko! Sokka would never mean to hurt me!"

"Well it looks like he did hurt you."

"….."

…

"Hey what happened to Hothead?" Toph wondered aloud. She had just noticed that the dark cloud in the group had wandered off.

"I guess he's with Suki," speculated Aang.

"They couldn't have gone far. I'll go find them." Katara volunteered. She had nothing better to do, and maybe this time she had a moment to try to apologies to her friend. Katara brushed the dirt off her skirt and started walking.

"Yeah. Of **course** he's with Suki. And of **course** Katara is following," Sokka said bitterly after his sister was out of ear shot.

"Can it if you know what's good for you Meathead."

….

I have gone through my share of break ups. Mai broke up with me twice, and of course there was that girl in Ba Sing Se. Well we didn't actually break up. I just sort of left with my sister after supposedly killing the Avatar. Ugh. Happy memories.

And I knew how much it hurt. Ever since Mai left, I've been irritable, angry, unsociable, and just hated the world. I never told anyone what happened, so no one came to help me. I was the Fire Lord after all, and his wishes to be left alone must be respected. I'm glad Suki finally had the courage to tell everyone why I had been so melancholy.

But loosing Mai was so hard. I felt like nothing could make me happy again. I loved her.

So it's pretty hard for me to convince one of my best friends in the world to break up with her supposed soul mate.

"Suki, just let it go. He doesn't deserve someone as great as you if he is willing to lock lips with Toph!" I yelled. I was getting pretty pent-up right now. How dare Sokka and Toph do this to Suki! She was my friend and both of them were going to pay!

"But Katara said-"

"I don't care what Katara said! If Sokka really didn't mean it then he would have already came to you and apologized!" I screamed. I can't believe this! Trapped in an underground tunnel, now this! My head was on fire, and I began to take in deep breaths to calm myself a bit.

"THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, ZUKO! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Suki shrieked. She threw the hand I was holding into the air and slammed her hand down on the rock with a sickening thud. She removed her hand slowly as she gazed at the spider web like cracks of broken stone she made.

I slid off the rock and lit a fire in my palm to see. I was done with these clowns.

"Where are you going?" Suki sobbed turning in my direction. She jumped off the rock and sprinted over to match my stride back to the others.

"If you don't make him at least apologize, I will." I growled. I began to walk faster. I was going to beat Sokka until he was bleeding on the ground. I began to run. I would beat him until he was begging to be forgiven. I began to sprint. Then I throw Toph in the river and let her-

Suki grabbed my hand. I stopped and lost my concentration letting the flame crumble away. We stood there in the darkness for a moment, while the water lapped quietly on the river bank.

"But I love him..." Suki whispered. Even in the dark I could see tears flowing down her face. I pulled her into a hug. Suki wrapped her arms around me, and I held her close. She was warm and she smelled like lilacs and cosmetics. No wonder Sokka liked her, but someone as nice as Suki didn't deserve this.

Suki let out a sob that sounded like her heart had just collapsed in on itself. I knew that sound all too well.

"You owe it to yourself to end it, Suki. I hate to see you like this." I mumbled. I wasn't very good at this mushy stuff, but I suppose I would have to do for now. I didn't let anyone be there for me, and I wouldn't let anyone else make that mistake.

We held each other in silence, two hearts broken together.

….

_I'll go up and tell Suki that it was a joke….That wouldn't work. She would never believe me. Or if she did, I would be the one she would be mad at. _

Katara was lost in her thoughts when two figures sped past her in the dark.

"Keep up, Katara! I'm about to kill your brother!"


	7. Thanks for the Memories

_1. Sorry for being gone so long. Vacation, practice, homework, youtube, medical appointments, drama, sleepiness, polar bears, stupid teen boys, evil cats, and writers block bug all happened. _

_2. LAST CHAPTER, I SURPRISED MYSELF. ZUKO AND SUKI?! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? But seriously, I think they could work. I mean, it could really work! Let us just see..._

_3. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and read. Especially requim17 for correcting my awful grammar (THANKYOUPERSON ;). Plus spatterson for being patient with me. Please keep on reviewing so I can get better._

_4. This chapter is short, because it just needs to stand alone. I love Suki. She is positively beautiful character._

_..._

_"One night and one more time  
Thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great.  
He tastes like you only sweeter.  
One night and one more time  
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories.  
He, he tastes like you only sweeter."_

_..._

"So I was trying to see a way out of here, and I think there is a long tunnel just a few feet below. We might be able to find a way up through that tunnel, or we could try this path-"

"SOKKA!"

Aang turned to see Suki, Zuko, and Katara all barreling into the camp ground. The light was dim in these caves, but even Aang could tell how angry Suki was. It wasn't a scowl, clenched teeth, or popping vain that made her look scary at all. Suki's face was completely blank. It was the intensity behind her eyes, and the steady pace she kept that made her look terrifying.

The Kyoshi Warrior somehow managed to look twice her size, and seemed to grow with every step she took.

Zuko on the other hand had the scowl, clenched teeth, and popping vain to express his rage. It wasn't like he didn't pull that face a lot, but it still meant trouble. Zuko kept Suki's pace, but stayed slightly behind her.

Whatever this was- it was Suki leading the charge, which made her look even more frightening.

Katara made up the rear of the procession looking a bit afraid herself.

Aang looked at his companions around the fire. Toph all looked as bewildered as Aang felt, and Sokka had gone completely pale. It seemed that this event caught all of them by surprise.

Aang was the Avatar and an air nomad. It was his job to provide conflict resolution. But even he wasn't prepared for this.

"Sokka, I am breaking up with you."

Suki let the words tumble out of her mouth, and hang in the air for a moment. They seemed to suck up all the oxygen in the room, because nobody could speak. The words just hung there and nobody knew what to say.

Except for Suki. She turned to Sokka.

"Sokka, you cheated on me, and that's not okay. I- Nobody deserves to be cheated on. You hurt me… I loved you, Sokka. And it seems like you couldn't return the favor."

She turned her ice cold gaze to Toph.

"Toph hurt me too. I thought you were friends, but I guess we weren't good enough friends for you to betray me like that."

Suki stood straight up, taller than a mountain.

"I don't think I can forgive either of you for this. Not today or tomorrow. I might have been kinder if you just told me out right- but no. You had to lie. Lie to me and our friends. And that is inexcusable."

Suki drew in a breath. She was ready to finish this.

"If you expect me to take this lying down, you are mistaken. I am a girl, but I am a warrior too- just like every other girl out there. I'm done with giving my time, patience, and my heart to you, Sokka. I am no longer your friend, Toph. I am an independent female, who doesn't need either of you. Thanks for the memories, but it's over."

And with that Suki turned on her heal and walked away.


	8. Opinions of Others

_Another chapter! Finally. I got one word for ya- SCHOOL._

_E: That's a dollar for the swear jar nearly._

_nearly: School is not a swear word._

_Peanut: Oh, THE HORROR. MY HEART CAN'T GO ON WITH SUCH VILE WORDS PASSING THROUGH MY EARS._

_Oh, the summer days. Only but a memory. Sigh._

_And Legend of Korra. It's gone. Off Nickelodeon. I can't believe it. I know that's old news, but I just found out a few days ago. I can't believe they would do that._

_But anyway, thank you for reading, and please keep on reading, critiquing, and reviewing. And special thanks to Popping the Rabbit for an awesome quote for last chapter that I just added. Thanks man!  
_

_..._

_Since when did my life get so crazy?_

_Well…I guess it's as crazy as usual. This whole day has just been more emotionally exhausting than usual. I am the Avatar after all. I think that puts craziness in the job description. _

_I hate it when my companions fight. Being the Avatar, I must always be careful for which side I choose in a conflict. The decision is sometimes easy, but it is often hard. It just makes it harder when my friendship is on the line._

_But it's my job to resolve conflict. How to resolve the conflict is another problem entirely. I don't know if I should choose a side or stay neutral or-"_

"Get out of my face, Sokka! This is your fault!"

"It was an accident! And maybe if you let me talk to Suki, I could explain it all!"

"Like Cactus Juice could really make all that stuff happen!"

"Let's test it then, Sparky. I would more than happy to stuff some down your throat to keep you quite."

"Don't start with me, you slut!"

After a sudden, but not surprising exchanging of fists and ugly words, the only conclusion Aang came to was that noses could bleed a lot.

_Man. Red does not go well with air bender robes. I hope Katara gets to me soon. I know Zuko is worse off than me, but she seems to be taking an awful long time fixing his bruises. _

_When did love become so complicated? With Katara it was easy. I liked the way she looked, talked, walked. Her ideas were always great, and she was kind to everyone. She stood by me, and never stopped believing in me. Katara made me happy. Whenever she came into the room I would be filled with happiness. No wonder I fell in love with her._

_Of course it took a while for her to feel the same. But with a lot of waiting, Katara eventually started liking me too. I still have trouble talking to her and blush when she gets close, but I don't think she minds. And Katara's the one. I know it._

"Hey." Katara's voice drew Aang back into the reality of the situation. Katara looked just as tired as the Avatar. Perhaps this conflict was difficult for her to deal with as well.

_I'm sure Katara could clear things up for me. She seems to know more about this whole ordeal than me. I'm sure I could come to a good decision on what to do. _

Katara placed her hands over Aangs nose, letting the cave water heal the wound. The sudden coolness that spread through Aang's body felt good to the young air bender. Not to mention it also helped relieve some of the stress.

"How's Sokka doing?" Aang asked as he peered over Katara's hands to see the warrior slumped over on the cave wall. Toph and Zuko had started trading insults again, but they were easy to tune out. Sukki was still gone.

"Not good." Katara whispered. Sokka hardly ever looked sad, but now he looked like he was literally oozing sadness.

"Who knew our little exhibition would end up like this?" wondered Aang sticking out his bottom lip in an irritated pout.

"It would have come out eventually." sighed Katara, "I hate that I put everyone through such trouble, but Sokka should have just told Suki about his slip up."

Aang's eyes widened. "You were the one who told Suki?"

"I saw Toph and Sokka kissing behind Toph's academy. Of course I had to tell her. It was an accident, of course, since I assumed Suki already knew. But what are you gonna do about stupid brothers? It's his fault this is happening."

"Did you know about the cactus juice?"

"Of course not. I'm not even sure if the cactus juice really was the reason." Katara mumbled as she pulled her hands away. She flicked her wrist allowing the water she was using to wash up the blood, while Aang started to test his nose again.

"So you don't believe Sokka and Toph's story?"

Katara sighed. "Well if they were really out of their minds, wouldn't it be easy for either Sokka or Toph to talk to Suki? If they just explained what happened she would understand, but now that they didn't tell her, Suki can only expect the worse."

Aang frowned. "Yeah, but Sokka and Toph probably thought what Suki didn't know wouldn't hurt her."

"Secrets don't stay hidden forever, Aang….. Plus I'm pretty sure Toph really has a thing for Sokka."

_Perhaps…Perhaps another opinion was in order. Just to make sure I know where I stand._

….

"Hey"

"Hey"

"How you holdin' up, buddy?"

"How do you think I am holding up?"

"… I'm guessing you're not feeling very good."

"Well you guessed right."

"….That kiss it wa-"

"An accident. It was cactus juice. Toph's students thought it would be a funny prank. I never that stuff could jack you up so much…And I thought I-we could just pretend that kiss never happened. Keep it buried in the sand. Forgotten.. But in the end…"

"..Secrets don't stay hidden forever, huh?"

"Yeah…I should have known."

"…"

"…You believe me right?"

"…"

"….Oh. I get it…."

"…"

"You know I really thought me and Suki were gonna make it. That she was the one. After Yue…I thought I would never be happy again…But Suki made me happy….Whenever she came into a room I would just be filled with happiness."

"…Just like how Katara makes me feel."

"I thought she felt that way too. She probably did…And I just screwed everything up…I wish I could take it all back. But I can't."

"…"

"…"

"I believe you."

"What?"

"I believe you, Sokka."

…

"Suki has lived under my roof for a good couple of years, Aang. Uncle really likes her, and Suki is always easy to talk to. She's not just a body-guard. She's a friend. And I can't stand around doing nothing when a friend is hurting."

Aang was sitting with the Fire Lord trying to get another side to this ever-increasing story. Only after removing Toph from Zuko's vison of course. Currently the blind earth bender and Katara were playing 'who-can-drown-out-the-other-girl-the-fastest-wins'. Zuko was staring off somewhere in the darkness while he continued to talk to Aang.

"Sokka has lost his honor with exchanging tokens of affections with another woman. Toph is a wench, this is most likely all her doing. Together they broke Suki's heart. Suki deserves to break it off with Sokka. He was unfaithful. She loved him, Aang. Sokka broke her heart. And a true friend doesn't let another friend keep a broken heart."

"So **you** were the one to get Suki to cut it off." Aang stated.

Zuko grimaced and turned to Aang. Their eyes met. "That was the only way to help Suki to feel better. What else was she supposed to do?"

"I guess…your right."

"Exactly. I feel a little sorry for Sokka, but Toph didn't even get half of what she deserved. This is her fault, and it's obvious neither of them want to mend the wounds. Sokka hasn't even bothered to apologies yet. That's how much he's not sorry." Zuko said bitterly. He turned away again.

Now Aang was a very cautious person. He never jumped the gun. But today was a crazy day.

"Was Mai sorry?" Aang whispered.

Zuko's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Zuko's expression soured and the fire bender stood up and walked away.

_I guess Zuko didn't have an answer. I still don't have an answer either. First Sokka was wrong, then it was an accident, now Toph... Toph…I should here her side too._

_…__.._

"Go away, Twinkle Toes. I don't want to talk to you. That kiss was when we were in crazy land. Sugar Queen and Sparky just blew it out of proportion. This whole mess is their fault. And I am **not **apologizing. Now leave me alone, unless you got food. I'm starving!"

….

Suki was nowhere to be found.

….

Aang trudged into 'camp' after searching for Suki for a good half hour. Toph was still yelling, Zuko was still screaming, and Katara was still shrieking. How were the badgermoles not hearing this?

Sokka still had his back against the stone wall, head in hands.

And Aang still had no clue what to do.

_Maybe asking my friends what they thought was **i**_**_n fact _**_a__ bad idea._


End file.
